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New Orleans 10th March 1834
R.C. Ballard Esq
Dr Sir
Yours of the 22nd last month is before me under cover of which I find Bill of Lading for 27 Slaves will attend with pleasure to the sale of the boy for Mr Alsop as also to the request of the Casier provided that R L Booker Esq thinks that my interfeance will avail any thing you may say to the Cashier that at all times will afford me plesaur to receive his commands Times are extremely Dull at this place on want of competition in Commertial Transactions Several Large facturs in this place Harris Wright & Co C Dart & Co Wilkinson McNull & Co all of which we are more or less affected by altho the Drawers of the Bills are for the most part Good planters yet we will be kept out of our money a longer time than its likely we would had they not have stoped payment we have 8 or 9 thousand Dollars that I L R Franklin has taken since I left Natchez The Drawer of which I am not acquainted with sales are very Dull and prices is of slaves low fellows from 7 to 750 Dolls Dull and not Cash at that Good Acceptances are hard to get off acct Loans at 15 pr at Disct
and slaves are frequently sold at the prices mentioned and the paper taken at 10 prct interest the Traders will be all laied out this season will have no money to purchase with and the price will be very low in your market I would be moore pleased if I could sell for cost the ballance on hand than at any thing that could occur but money seems out of the Question I have no time to attend to sailes for aranging to take up our Bills I have so far kept out of the hands of the Shavers but do not know how soon I will be compelled to put some of our paper in market I am almost the any(sic) man in New Orleans that has sustained their credit without being shaved the merchants are all pressed to Death will make no new Ingagements the planters wants Negroes but such is the deficuly in making money Arangements that they are delined from making the Attempt if you can at sell your negroes for Cost in the name of God ship we can sell them for some price and Interest but would prefer your selling be sure to sustain your Credit at any sacrafice I have about 60 Negroes on hand at this place half of which have been sick cannot shew more than half of them sent IWLR 50 last week he has sold a good many
But get no money if we could get cost for the Ballance on hand in cash we would loose nothing the years mark up to the time I left Natchez we had made between 60 & 70 thousand Dollars all hands we have a Great Deal of sickness and Deaths according I thought that Last year was bad enough but this caps the climax I would not see an other such a season for all the money in the world you must at all hazards sustain your Credit pleas say what Amt of Bills you negotiated on was I have already Taken up for you and about one hundred & Thirty thousand Dollars of Bills & I paid that I am still under acceptances for upwards of 70,000 yet we are holding about 400,000 Dollars of Bills receivable only a small Amt of which are within Bank Line if I could sell for Cash to pay our Bills I could yet sell for a profit and Good Interest that Gives all the Trouble we must cut our Garment the next season according to our Cloth purchase sparingly and at low prices As usual Isaac Franklin
R C Ballard Esqr
Richmond
Virginia
New Orleans March 18th 1834
Mssrs RC Ballard &Co
Gent
Our R C Ballard Esqrs favour of the 1st of this curant month is before & will Indeavour to notice the contents in which he wishes me to sell the paper belonging to B&A and the paper for last years profits if not at two great a loss that Gent has been frequently advised that no paper will be discounted unless at a sacrafice & he was advised a long time since that sale of slave could not be made for cash and it would be better to hold off and purchase sparingly that we would be imbarrised in our money matter but the Gent in reply to me stated that he could get Lotts of money from the Banks and could put the payments of at pleasur and under this view he said he concluded to continue to purchasing at prices that was now justifyable as profitable notwithstanding he had been advised that we were suffering great losses from cholera Small Pox and the necessity of vaccination it was intensely neglected untill late in the season after we had lost 5 or six thousand Dollars worth of & the last shipment has arrived without more than half of the negroes being vaxinated furthermore after being advised of all these thing he complains that his credit must suffer he will also bear in mind when he writes me